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ABOUT US

Our mission is to Love God, Love People, and Make Disciples.

Leadership Team

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Pastor Irwin & Marsha Bales

Irwin was raised in rural south central Kansas in a small town of about 7,000. His mother was a school teacher, and his dad, raised on a farm, taught for a while but had other jobs as well. He was raised in a Free Methodist Church which had moved from the country to town, and attended a school with grades K-12 where his mother taught.

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Marsha was raised in Lawrence Kansas in northeastern Kansas. Her parents both worked on the University of Kansas campus. Her dad taught communication and was part of the campus radio program. Her mother retired from being a secretary at the Kansas Geological Survey office.

Irwin received a BA in Sociology at Greenville University, where he also studied Spanish and some pre-ministry courses. He then moved to Kansas City, Kansas where he attended the Nazarene Theological Seminary to obtain his M.Div, and serve as Assistant Pastor at a Free Methodist Church in Kansas City, Kansas.

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Marsha received her bachelor's degree in nursing at Pittsburg State University (Kansas) and was a RN in Kansas City where she and Irwin met at the Free Methodist Church. Irwin served as a Free Methodist pastor in Wichita Kansas for 7 years, where Marsha worked for the University of Kansas Medical School of Medicine clinic there, and where their first 2 children were born.

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They moved to Costa Rica for 8 months and attended the Spanish Language Institute as part of missionary training, then continued as Free Methodist missionaries in Puerto Rico for the remainder of our 5 years as missionaries. After serving as missionaries they moved to Pratt, KS and took a break from ministry for three years. In 2002, they moved to St. Francisville, IL. Irwin became pastor at the Free Methodist church there. They also worked with Hispanics in Lawrenceville where they started a church service in Spanish until the temporary Hispanic population moved out. Marsha has served in the county Health Department as a RN in the W.I.C. clinic.

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During their years in St. Francisville, Irwin has continued to interpret for Spanish speaking people in the area. Irwin and Marsha also led the youth group in St. Francisville for several years. They have three children: Josh lives in Los Angeles as sound tech and also does video production. Kayla and her husband live in Fort Wayne, IN. Kayla works for a company which does mergers and acquisitions and Kurt is in law enforcement. Liana has her Masters Degree in Chemistry, will get married in November and will go through graduation in December.

OUR VISION

Our vision is to inspire hope as
we partner with God to:

Build families | Nurture Kids | Grow community

as followers of Christ​

OUR VALUES

Passionate Worship

Healthy Community

Intentional Outreach

Contagious Spirituality

Biblical Authority

Wholehearted Service

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